Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-09-02
DAILY HERALD.
CHINATOWN
Will Not be Moved to La
bory Lane.
a DETERMINED AsSEMBLAGE.
Meeting Of the Council, Residents
and Mr.. Haas on the Prem
iSeS.

xno announcements tilaC CQc OlCy
Council would in conjunction with
.Messrs. Hellman & Haas visit the
tract of land fronting on Labory lane
intended for the use Of the Chinest
yesterday morning created quite al
excitement among the residents O
that part of the city and at half pas
10 o'clock, when the interested parties
arrived on the spot there were fully
200 Of the residents of that locality in
cluding many members of the softer
sex who had donned their war pain
determined that the new Chinatown
should not be located there if they
could help it. This tract of land lies
below Alameda street, and is com
pletely surrounded with the small
homes of those whose circumstances
are not Of the best, but whose labors
have enabled them to purchase lots
and build small cottages wherein are
housed the families which are always
30 tenderly regarded by the man
whose labors have provided the shelter.
It's four sides presented completed
row Of the back yards and gates Of these
residences with no outlet other than
Iabory lane, and the location of a
Chinatown there would have literally
been planting the heather in one Of
the most thickly populated portions of
the city, locality where there are
more children than any other; and
knowing the danger which threatened
il was no wonder that the array of
mothers and fathers was so large or
SO determined to use all the means
in their power to prevent the threat
ened calamity. Many of them had
purchased houses on the installment
plan and some had nearly completed
the payment thereon. Besides, they
felt that the establishment of a China
town in a locality where wealthier
people lived would not be tolerated
for an instant. Then there was the
Amelia street school almost adjoining,
and it almost seemed as if a catastro-
plle would have been better than the
Chinese. 1t was no wonder, then,
that at half-past ten O'Clock there was
gathered on the
BANKS OF THE ZANJA,
Under the shade of several large trees
on its borders, an excited assem-
blage of men and women. At that
time there were also on the ground
Mr.. Haas and Councilmen Breed,
Frapkenfield, Jones, Kuhrts, Collins
and Teed. 1t is needless to state that
surrounding them was the major part
Of the assemblage, including the
ladies. There was an earnestness in
the remarks made that bore great
weight with the opinion of Mr.. Haas,
ut whom all the talk was directed.
While there was no disorder there was
considerable excitement occasioned by
the determination to prevent the
establishment of the Chinatown in
that spot.
One lady, catching Mr.. Haas by the
arm, said,. "W We won't have them
here. Just bear it in mind that they
can't come here. That ends it,"
No sooner had she finished than
another lady said, "Why don't you
build cottages and rent them to white
people? All you would have to do
would be to build the cottages and
they would be rented before finished.
The trouble is that you can't get SO
much rent from the white people.
That's what's the matter. You can't
build here for Cinnamon, and we
won't let you."
Another member of the crowd
wanted to know how much Mr.. Haas
asked for the tract, and said: eff you
will put
A PRICE ON THE LAND
And divide it we will buy it only too
quick. Anything but let the Chinese
come here. Well buy you out and
build for white people, but you shall
not build for the Chinese"
These are only few samples show
ing the genegal tenor of the remarks,
and there were some who in an ex-
cited moment said that if the Chinese
could not be kept from the tract by
peaceable means other means would
be taken, but no Chinaman would be
allowed there under any circumstances.
Someone suggested that if Mr.. Haas
did build he be required to live with
his family i'm the adjoining neighbor-
hood.
After this had gone on for some
time, and everyone had expressed his
or her views, and there were
none in favor of the establish
ment OF the Chinatown, Mr..
Kuhrts obtaining silence said: "The
City Council is present and l move
that its members protest against the
erection of Chinatown in this local
ity and that Mr.. Haas be requested to
abandon his plan" This motion was
seconded by Mr.. Teed and was carried
while the crowd cheered.
Mr.. Haas then stepped forward and
said that it had not been the intention
of his firm to do anything in opposi-
ton to the wishes of the people.
He and his partner had always
had the welfare of the city at
heart, and it had been represented to
him by white man that the location
of q Chinatown ON the premises would
be a good thing for the city. Then
the protest had been made and it was
with view OF ascertaining exactly
what were the wishes OF the people
that he had solicited the meeting.
He wanted to know that it was the
actual residents of that part of the
city who were objecting to the estab-
1ishment of Chinatown. If he found
that they did not wish Chinatown
there he would not build and he had
seen that the residents did not want
the Chinese there and ne had decided
that
HE WOULD NOT BUILD.
His decision was received with
cheers, and he was praised for his de-
termination to do only what was right
in the premises.
One of the most prominent of the
objectors to the establishment OF
Chinatown there was Councilman Col
lins, who is resident of that vicin
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